TRESIA

“This is bad,” the black-haired woman thought, panic rising in her chest.
She took down Henry in an instant.

Wasn’t Henry always bragging about his impenetrable defense techniques?
Now he was crumpled in a bloody pit, motionless.

“I can’t activate teleport without Henry… dammit!”
She needed to stall.

Sunflower was already approaching—slowly, calmly, like a predator savoring the hunt.

The woman’s mind raced.

“Where’s that smug face I saw just a second ago?” Sunflower asked, giving a faint smile as she prepared her next strike.

Suddenly, the woman screamed:

“GO! BURN THE VILLAGE USING THE DEVICE! I’ll buy time!”

She flashed Lance a victorious smirk.
If Sunflower wants to stop them, she’ll have to deal with him first.
That meant time to escape.

She reached into her coat, grabbing a small glass vial containing a swirling blue liquid. She lifted it to her mouth—

Swish!

In one clean motion, Sunflower’s blade sliced through the air.
And then—

Thud.

The woman’s head hit the ground.

Silence.

Even the wind stopped.

Sunflower calmly inspected both bodies, humming to herself as she pocketed a pouch of gold coins. She looked genuinely pleased.

Then she turned and strolled back to Lance.

He was already rehearsing his words to clear up the misunderstanding when she spoke first:

“Can you talk now? Must’ve been a spell from the black-haired one.”

Lance nodded, unsure how to process how casual she sounded.

“Good. Village is just ahead,” she said, walking past him without a care.

Lance scrambled up, his head still spinning.

“Wait… weren’t you about to kill me?” he asked, incredulous.

Sunflower shrugged without turning.
“I was. Until I realized you were cursed and couldn’t talk. Then it made more sense.”

Lance glanced back at the battlefield—blood, broken bodies, torn grass.

He swallowed hard.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, goosebumps trailing his arms.

The two walked in silence, leaving the plains behind and stepping into a forest where trees towered into the sky. The deeper they went, the larger the trees became, some trunks wider than houses.

Then Sunflower stopped.

“We’re here.”

Lance looked around. Nothing. Just trees.

“Is the village… underground?” he asked.

Sunflower approached a large tree and waved for Lance to come close. Their faces were now just inches from the bark.

“Close your eyes,” she said.

Without hesitation, he obeyed. A moment later, she grabbed his hand and pulled.

“Open them.”

Lance blinked—and what he saw was entirely unexpected:

A spiral staircase descending downward, enclosed by smooth, light brown walls, like the inside of a massive hollow tree. The space was tight, cylindrical, but warm.

They began to climb.

At the top: a wooden door with a silver handle.

Sunflower gestured.

“Your turn.”

Lance grasped the handle, pushed it open—and was blinded by sunlight.

And then he heard her voice:

“Welcome to Tresia Village.”

Lance stepped out and gasped.

A village built high in the trees, with dozens of houses perched on massive branches, connected by sturdy wooden bridges and rope walkways. Children ran laughing from tree to tree. Vendors sold fruit and spices. Women haggled over clothes. Men smoked cigars, drank, and told stories. Laughter echoed from the tavern, where patrons sang and brawled in equal measure.

Life was everywhere.

For a moment, Lance forgot the bloodshed, the danger.

He turned to tell Sunflower how beautiful it all was—
But suddenly, something in his mind snapped.

Buzzing.

Images surged into his brain like a flood:
The dark place.
The wooden door.
The mirror.
The face inside the mirror.

His knees gave out. He collapsed.

A sharp, piercing screech rang inside his skull.

And then…

A voice.

“Burn them alive.”